'Alison, I want you to go with Lieutenant Daltoons to the coffeehouse,' said Jake abruptly. 'Then go where Culper assigns you.'
'He wishes to put me into retirement,' protested Alison.
'He merely wants you to be safe,' said Jake.
'I can do much more good in the city,' said Alison. 'You see what help I've already been. The fat Dutchman would not have escaped without me.'
'I hope you are not referring to me,' harrumphed van Clynne as he climbed the stairs back to the loft. 'As you are wrong on several counts: I am neither fat, nor was I in need of your assistance.' The mug of porter he carried with him was not the highest quality, but acceptable under the circumstances. 'I merely delayed my departure long enough to retrieve a map of the area where my land is situated, to assist the good General Washington in recommending my claim to Congress.'
'You must go,' Jake told her. 'For your own good. No arguing.'
'If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion,' offered van Clynne, 'I know a fine housewife on Long Island who would undoubtedly be glad to have her help. She is not Dutch herself, but married into the race. Granted, it is nominally behind the enemy lines, but the farm is safe enough.'
'I do not like the Dutch, even by marriage,' said Alison. 'They are cowards.'
'Cowards! After all of my efforts on your behalf!'
The pope would stomach insults to the cross with less emotion than van Clynne showed now, his nose twitching with such fervor that Jake feared he would issue a catastrophic sneeze.
'I will concede that you may be brave,' said Alison, retreating half an inch, 'though it was I who saved you.'
'You have much to learn, young woman,' said the squire. 'Who plucked whom from the city slop at the side of the street?'
'Please, Claus, you're not helping the situation,' said Jake.
'There was a time when proper respect was shown for one's elders,' he groused, walking toward a large chair in the corner where he could recover his dignity without further interference. 'But mark my words, sir, your plan for gathering information is all wrong.'
'Which plan is that?' said Jake.
'Whatever plan you are concocting. Undoubtedly it will entail much slinking about and additional fisticuffs. Brute force is unreliable in these situations. Finesse, sir — that is the Dutch way, tried and true. All you need do is discover the proper person, approach in the light of day, and ask.'
'Like your tailor.'
'A temporary setback,' admitted van Clynne, feeling expansive. 'It was the right forest but the wrong pew, the proper church but the wrong tree. The plan remains sound.' He settled into the well-cushioned seat and pulled a small stool up for his feet. In truth, properly comfortable chairs had gone out of style thirty years before. This one with its wide wings and broad but firm seat would have to do.
'You have a plan?' Daltoons asked Jake.
'Not yet.'
'Culper will be able to solve it, if anyone can.'
'I doubt in time. General Washington has a difficult schedule to meet. Perhaps I should row out and ask Howe himself.'
'The man has no taste,' said van Clynne. 'He believes wine better than beer.'
'If I were Howe,' said Alison, 'I would attack Philadelphia. It's full of pompous puffs who will gladly bow to the king.'
'So now you are a politician as well as a soldier,' said Daltoons. 'Shall we call you General Alison, or Congressman?'
'I do not think that I will allow you to call me anything,' said Alison. 'And why do you wear that red cloth around your neck? Is it your sweetheart's sign?'
The lieutenant turned red. 'My mother gave it to me before I joined the army,' he said. 'I do not have a sweetheart.'
'I could have predicted that,' said Alison.
While the pair were engaged in their light fencing, Jake made a mental list of the men who must know Howe's true plan. General Clinton surely would know where his commander was going, even if Culper's efforts to infiltrate his staff had so far revealed nothing.
Kidnap him? If easier than swimming out to Howe, it was still difficult in the extreme. Nor was Jake likely to find any knowledgeable member of his circle an easy target. Keen would probably have alerted the entire British force by now.
He began thinking of prominent Tories who might have been let in on the secret, and once more came to Bauer. Surely his network of Loyalists would have been of use to Howe in his planning. Bauer had also helped organize Tory cabals in the city of New York before the invasion, and it would be logical to have him help or at least advise in setting the stage in Boston.
Or Philadelphia. Or Georgia. Or the Carolinas.
He had a company of guards, but that obstacle might not prove insurmountable. If he were kidnapped, he might be rowed from his own dock without an inordinate amount of trouble.
But how to get him to say what he knew? And how to know it was true?
Bauer's fierce reputation was not unwarranted. Fight off his guards, kidnap the man, torture the answer from him — and then be victimized by a simple if well-told lie?
Worse, kidnapping might alert the British, and possibly cause them to change their plans.
Brute force would be unreliable, Jake realized. Claus — dare he concede it? — was right about that.
Bauer must be the solution; Fate had not thrown them together so often today without some purpose. Too bad he couldn't just kill him, then dissect his brain for the answer.
Jake's mind lit with an idea.
'Do you think Bauer will show up for the duel?' he asked Daltoons.
'Of course.' The lieutenant had laughed at the story earlier with a touch of envy; he wished he might develop his older friend's flair, as well as find his luck.
'Even if he knows I'm an American?'
'How will he know?'
'Keen will tell him.' Jake reconsidered. 'Well, perhaps he has reason not to. Bauer still thought I was a spy for Bacon just now. Lady Patricia seemed to think Keen and I were friends, which is an idea that could only come from Keen. He must have some reason for keeping my identity secret.'
'In any event, I would think Bauer's reputation guarantees his presence at the duel,' said Daltoons. 'But why would you attend?'
'To kill him and then raise him from the dead.'
'What?'
Jake jumped from his chair. 'We are going to kidnap him and steal the answer, without anyone else realizing it. We will need some contingency to distract his dragoon guard, in case they feel obliged to attend the duel. Can you arrange an order to take them away from his house?'
'I'm sure we can find a diversion,' said Daltoons, unsure what Jake was up to. 'But don't you think you should consult with Culper?'
It was as useless to try and stop Jake when he was launched on a plan as it was to argue with van Clynne about Dutch superiority. The patriot spy waved him off as he ran to grab his coat. 'The first trick is to kill him, the second to cure him. That way we'll keep others' suspicions down and only worry about his. Have everything ready for me. I must see a friend. In the meantime, organize some sort of order or delay for the guard. I want to make sure Bauer arrives on the Jersey shore without it.'
Alison sprung after him.
'You can't come with me,' Jake said.
'The British are looking for you,' Daltoons told Jake. 'And Culper specifically said for you to stay in hiding.'
